The Sri Lankan military has released pictures of Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran which it says prove conclusively that he is dead. The state and private stations aired footage of what they said was the body of Prabhakaran, along with what looked like his Tamil Tiger identity card and tag. The army also says his body has been positively identified with DNA testing. But the questions remain about when and how he and other rebel leaders were killed, and over apparently contradictory statements in relation to his reported death.
Denial:
Following the release of the photographs most Indian Tamil newspapers appear to have accepted that Prabhakaran is dead. But so far the most influential pro-rebel website, TamilNet, has not acknowledged the death. Speaking before the release of the photos, a rebel official abroad denied Prabhakaran had been killed and said the Tamil Tiger leader was "alive and safe".
"He will continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom for the Tamil people," Selvarasa Pathmanathan said in a statement posted on the pro-rebel TamilNet Web site on Tuesday.
But he offered no further details or evidence to support the claim, only drawing attention to what he said was Colombo's "treachery" in the killings of senior unarmed Tamil Tiger political wing leaders in the north-east, who he said had been shot as they carried white flags.
(Source : BBC News)
Our Perspective:
Only time will tell whether one of the most influencial south asian rebel leaders is alive. But as it appears now, until further evidences appear in public, we can not help feeling that this could be the worst to happen to LTTE and its freedom movement. We can only hope that the war claims no more civil life.
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